Impressive health benefits of beet root A series of PresentationByMr. Allah Dad Khan former DG Agriculture Extension KP Province and Visiting Professor the University of Agriculture Peshawar allahdad52@gmail.com

4. What is beetroot?
Beetroot is a part of the beet plant that is
consumed all over the world. It is also known as
red beet, golden beet, table beet or garden
beet. It is one of the varieties of Beta vulgaris,
which is cultivated. Apart from its use as a food
it is used as medicinal plant and also for food
coloring.

5. Beet Root
Tubers with rich, nutty, earthy flavours. A sweet
variety of beet is grown commercially in europe
and asia for sugar manufacture. Red beetroot is
often sold pickled. The red colour can stain
almost anything and has been used in clothing
dyes for centuries. ‘Borscht’ is the classic
beetroot soup from eastern Europe.

6. Beet Root
Beets or beetroots, as they are often called,
belong to the Chenopodiaceous family. Their
history stretches back to ancient times, and the
earliest signs of their cultivation was
approximately 4,000 years ago in the
Mediterranean region. From there, they were
probably transported to Babylon, and by the 9th
century AD, they had made their way into
Chinese culture and cuisine. They have long
been associated with sexuality and have been
used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years.

7. Beet Root Uses
Beetroot is frequently added as an ingredient to
salads, soups and pickles and is also used as a
natural coloring agent. Even though beets are
available throughout the year, they are still
considered seasonal vegetables. Besides their
use as an actual food item, beets are valuable
as a source of sucrose, which makes them a
viable replacement for tropical sugar cane.
They are still frequently used to make refined
sugar.

8. Nutritional Value Of Beet Root
Beets have such a wide range of health
benefits because of their nutritional content,
including vitamins, minerals, and organic
compounds like carotenoids, lutein/zeaxanthin,
glycine, betaine, dietary fiber, vitamin
C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus,
while also being a source of beneficial
flavonoids called anthocyanins. They are very
low in calories, with no cholesterol, but they do
have the highest sugar content of all
vegetables.

9. Health
Benefits Of
Beet

10. 1. Beets are Good for Heart
Health:
Beet fiber helps to reduce cholesterol
and triglycerides by increasing the
level of HDL cholesterol (“good”
cholesterol). Having a high level of
triglycerides increases the risk for
heart related problems, so increased
HDL is a good line of defense against
that. The presence of the nutrient
betaine lowers the levels of
homocysteine in the body which can
also be harmful to the blood vessels.
Thus, consumption of beetroot helps
to prevent cardiovascular diseases in
multiple ways, so conditions like
ahterosclerosis, heart attacks, and
strokes are less likely to develop. The
fiber in beets also works to strip
excess LDL cholesterol from the walls
and help to eliminate it from the body
quickly.

11. 2.Beet Improve Stamina
hen elite athletes pee in a cup for a drug
test, the color might be crimson. Why?
Because lots of athletes eat beets—they
know research has suggested that nitrates
boost endurance performance—and beets
contain pigments that turn urine pink. In
one study, cyclists who drank beet juice
could pedal hard 15% longer in a time
trial to exhaustion. It takes about three to
five beets (depending on their size, which
varies widely) to get a performance boost,
says study author Andy Jones, PhD, dean
of research in the College of Life and
Environmental Sciences, University of
Exeter. “Peak nitrate levels occur two to
three hours after you eat or drink them,”
he says. So time your intake accordingly
if your want to crush your 5K PR.

12. 3.Beet Root for Brain Health
Nitric oxide relaxes and dilates your
blood vessels, which in turn increases
blood flow to the brain—which could
bring on better brain function. That’s
particularly important as we age, as
research finds that our capacity to
generate nitric oxide diminishes as we get
older, along with our brain's energy
metabolism and neuron activity. So give
your brain a boost with beets. In one
small 2010 study, 14 older men and
women (average age of 74) who ate a
high-nitrate diet, including beet juice, for
two days enjoyed more blood flow to the
frontal lobe of their brains—a region
known to be involved with executive
functioning skills like focus,
organization, and attention to detail—
than when they ate a low-nitrate diet.

13. 4.Beets Lighten Liver
Your liver does the heavy work of
cleaning your blood and “detoxing”
your body. You can lighten its load
with a daily serving of beets.
Research shows that betaine, an
amino acid found in beets (as well as
spinach and quinoa) can help prevent
and reduce the accumulation of fat in
the liver. Animal studies show that
rats given beet juice have higher
levels of detoxifying enzymes in their
bloodstream. Research on people
with diabetes shows that betaine
improves liver function, slightly
decreases cholesterol, and reduces
liver size.

14. 5.Beets Good For Constipation
“One way to beat irregularity and
constipation is by eating fiber-rich
foods like beets,” says Leslie Bonci,
RD, sports nutritionist at Pittsburgh-
based company Active Eating
Advice. One cup of beets delivers
about 4 grams of dietary fiber,
particularly insoluble fiber, which
helps reduce the risk of constipation,
hemorrhoids, and diverticulitis. The
betaine found in beets has also been
shown to improve digestion. Just take
note, your pee isn’t the only thing
beets turn pink. Don’t be alarmed if
you see crimson-colored stools 24 to
72 hours following a meal heavy in
beets.

15. 6.Beets are Better For Health
Beets are also rich in betalains, a
class of potent antioxidants and
anti-inflammatories that battle
free radical- and inflammation-
related chronic diseases like heart
disease, obesity, and possibly
cancer. Speaking of cancer,
research suggests that betacyanin,
the pigment that gives beets its
pretty purple hue may help
protect against common
carcinogens; it has also shown
promise against laboratory-
grown breast cancer cells and is
currently being investigated as a
cancer-fighter.

16. 7. Beets Reduces Birth Defects:
Beets are good for
pregnant women since
they are a source of B
vitamin folate which
helps in the
development of infant’s
spinal column.
Deficiency of folate
could lead to a variety
of conditions called
neural tube defects.

17. 8.Beets Prevent Certain Cancers
Studies have revealed that beets are
good at preventing skin, lung,
and colon cancer, since they contain
the pigment betacyaninis, which
counteracts cancerous cell growth.
Nitrates used in meats as
preservatives can stimulate the
production of nitrosamine compounds
in the body which can also result in
cancer. Studies have now shown that
beet juice inhibits the cell mutations
caused by these compounds.
Researchers in Hungary have also
discovered that beet juice and its
powdered form slows down tumor
development. Adding a healthy
weekly amount of beets to your diet
can keep your body cancer-free for a
very long time.

18. 9.Beets Are Good for Liver
Health:
Betaines contained in
beet juice stimulate
the functions of the liver

19. 10.Beets Prevents Respiratory
Problems
Beetroot is a sourceof vitamin C that
helps to prevent asthma symptoms.
The natural beta carotene in beetroot
also helps to prevent lungs cancer.
Vitamin C is also a powerful
antioxidant that boosts the immune
system in a number of ways. Besides
acting as an antioxidant itself and
defending against the effects of free
radicals in the body, vitamin C also
stimulates the activity of white blood
cells, which is the body’s main line of
defense against foreign bodies, as
well as viral, bacterial, fungal, and
protozoan toxins that can result in a
multitude of infections and illnesses.
Vitamin C’s range goes from fighting
the sniffles to reducing the chances of
cancer, and beets has plenty of
vitamin C!

20. 11.Beets Prevents Cataracts
The presence of beta-
carotene, which is a form
of vitamin A, helps to
prevent age-related
blindness called cataracts
as well as a reduction in
macular degeneration that
commonly occurs as we get
older. Vitamin A is
considered a powerful
antioxidant substance that is
involved in many essential
activities in the body.

21. 12.Beets Have Capillary Fragility:
The flavonoids and
vitamin-C in beets help
to support the structure
of capillaries.

22. 13.Beers are Aphrodisiac:
Beets have been considered an
aphrodisiac or sexual booster for
millennia. Part of this stems from
the fact that beets contain
significant levels of the
mineral boron, which has been
shown to boost the production of
sexual hormones. This can lead
to a boost in your libido, increased
fertility, sperm mobility
improvement, and a reduction in
frigidity in the bedroom. Your
sexual life can get a legitimate
and time-tested push in the right
direction by adding beets to the
diet of you and your partner.

23. 14.Beets Boosts Energy Levels:
• Beets contain a significant
amount of carbohydrates that
provides fuel for energy and
prolonged sportsactivities.
These are the natural building
blocks of energy metabolism,
and beets provide them
without any of the negative
side effects of many other
carbohydrate-heavy foods.
When the body has a sufficient
amount of carbohydrates, it is
able to fuel all of the necessary
bodily functions as well,
including the important
metabolic reactions that keep
your organ systems functioning
efficiently.

24. 15.Beets and Macular
Degeneration:
The beta-carotene present in beetroot aids in
reducing or slowing macular degeneration in
the eyes. Macular degeneration is
often associated with an increase in free
radicals, which drastically affect the premature
aging process of many people. The beta-
carotene is a powerful form of vitamin A, which
has antioxidant capabilities and defends the
eyes against the damaging effects of these free
radicals.

25. 16.Beets a remedy for Strokes
A deficiency of potassium in the body
increases the risk of stroke.
Therefore, the potassium-rich
beetroot is recommended to boost
heart health for that reason as well.
Potassium is called a vasodilator,
meaning that it relaxes the blood
vessels and reduces blood pressure
throughout the body. When blood
pressure is reduced and the vessels
and arteries are no longer
contracted, blood clots are far less
likely to form, or get stuck, and the
plaque that may have built up along
the walls of your blood vessels will
not accumulate more detritus to form
additional clots. Clots are what
eventually lead to heart attacks and
strokes, so beets and their potassium
content are quite a health booster!

26. 17.Beets Improve Blood pressure
Beets are rich in nitrates, which the body
converts to nitric oxide—a compound
that relaxes and dilates blood vessels,
turning them into superhighways for your
nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood. That
means better circulation, and possibly
lower blood pressure. A very small study
from 2012 found that 13 men who drank
just one glass of beet juice
temporarily lowered their systolic blood
pressure by an average of 4 to 5 points.
(Note: the study was funded by a beet
juice manufacturer.) Another study
published in Hypertension in 2008 (which
didn't receive funding from beet-juice
makers) found that folks who drank the
red root juice had a 10 mm Hg drop in
blood pressure and less blood clotting
three hours later, compared to those who
drank water.